Three days after an "incendiary device" was thrown at the Atlanta ICE field office, a Georgia man is facing federal charges.
Inique Hinton, a 31-year-old resident from Douglasville, was charged with attempted arson of a federal building and depredation of government property, according to an Oct. 23 release from the U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
Photos of the then-suspected attacker were released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Hinton was arrested at a Cobb County home hours later, according to prosecutors.
“Those who attack our government buildings with fire and violence will be held accountable,” Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement. “The FBI stands with our law enforcement
partners to defend our communities while respecting everyone's first amendment rights.”
'Molotov cocktail' ignites fence
Just after 8 p.m. on Oct. 20, security footage captured a man, later identified as Hinton, walking near the ICE building on Ted Turner Drive in downtown Atlanta, according to prosecutors.
Hinton was holding items that he then threw toward the ICE building, hitting an exterior fence and sending flames spreading. Investigators said they recovered burned cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle and a lighter, all items used to make a Molotov cocktail.
No severe damage or injuries were reported.
“Attacking a federal building with an incendiary device like a Molotov cocktail is a despicable, terroristic crime that warrants an immediate and severe response,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement. “My office will relentlessly investigate, pursue, and prosecute any act of arson targeting government institutions and will ensure that the perpetrators bear the full consequences of their actions.”
Americans losing faith in ICE
The Trump Administration has continued to expand ICE operations across the country, including in Georgia. A now-scrapped plan to expand detention facilities included locations in Oakwood and Social Circle, each about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta.
And national support of the agency has continued to wane.
In aJuly poll from YouGov, about half of Americans support abolishing ICE as it operates today, a total of 48% compared to 40% who still support the agency.
Another 42% of Americans have no confidence in ICE, according to the poll. Another 11% have only a little confidence in the agency, and only 22% of Americans have a great deal of confidence in ICE.
The majority of Americans, 58%, believe ICE is using too much force, while only 30% of Americans say ICE force has been necessary and justified.
What is the Atlanta ICE field office?
The Atlanta Field Office with the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a regional office that oversees operations in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
The office coordinates arrests, detentions and removals across the Southeast, and collaborates with local jails and regional detention centers for their deportation operations.
ICE operations under the Trump Administration have hit record highs in Georgia, including over the summer when an operation out of the Atlanta office led to the arrests of more than 1,200 undocumented immigrants across the state.
"Operation Safe Community — Atlanta," as the project was called, was intended to detain those with criminal histories, but only half of the undocumented immigrants ultimately detained had any history with law enforcement.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GA man charged after 'Molotov cocktail' thrown at Atlanta ICE office
